The Place to Be
by Wandering Minds
Summary: In this sequel to Elven Dreams and Misadventures, Legolas, Gil-galad, Boromir, etc. must try to defeat the most dangerous of nemeses: Morniwen in New York City! Chapter is reloaded!
1. Celi the Kooshball

Dear Readers: I am ElfHuntressAutumnBurgundy, or EHAB. I and my partner Phe- Chan are the writing team known as Wandering Minds. If this is the first of our fics that you have read, we strongly advise you to first read "Wishes of Golden Chain," "Túla Merna Eel," and "Elven Dreams and Misadventures" ( in that order) before you proceed further, as this is a sequel to those fanfictions. To all of our veteran reviewers, welcome back! We hope you enjoy this fic as much as, if not more than, you have enjoyed our previous ventures. Before we start, here are the routine disclaimers: Wandering Minds does not own any aspect of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy world Middle- Earth; nor do we own any soft-drink, toy, or car companies. In fact, we own no corporations or companies at all. Therefore anything you recognize is not ours. Thank you.- EHAB And now for your entertainment pleasure, "The Place to Be: Chapter One: Celi the Koosh-ball."  
  
Siobhán Gild, known to her friends and husband as "Sivi" (See-vee), was standing alone on the little balcony outside her apartment. HER apartment... that was a new idea. Only hours ago it had been her father's. Yet in those few hours, she had met a king, saved his life, and become his queen. In those few hours, her father had gone from being a factory supervisor at a New York car manufacturing company back to being an angelic power in another world. In fact, in those few hours, Sivi and her friends had played with the fabrics of space and time... And in the latter part of those few hours, they had returned to New York (without Sivi's father but with Sivi's uncle), where her father's old coworker had, out of spite, purposely gotten Sivi's husband ( a Noldorin Elf that did not know what soft-drinks were, much less how they affected members of his race) ridiculously drunk on Surge.  
  
He was asleep now - her husband, Ereinion Gil-galad, that is - in the room just behind the balcony door. She turned to watch him with a faint smile. She had managed to get him up to bed before he did anything embarrassing or hurtful, but she had had several hard names for her father's coworker afterwards. She turned back to the New York City skyline.  
  
"Lord Jesus," she said clearly into the night, "You never said that it would be easy, and it wasn't, but You did say that You would always be there to help me, and You always have been. Praise You, God of all worlds! You are truly beautiful. Forgive me for being afraid, and forgive me for calling Derek all those things. Even if what he did was wrong, I can't judge him. I pray You'll speak to his heart and let him see You. I also pray that You'll continue to be with me, with my family, and with my friends. I'm not sure how we're going to get the Elves naturalized - or Boromir for that matter -, or how we're going to convince the authorities that Ereinion and I are really married. Sadly, they may not much care about the latter. I do, though, and even if I know we were married in Middle- Earth, I'd feel a lot better if it were easier to prove it here. Maybe we should have another ceremony, here in New York, just so no one can question us. Elves in New York City! My Dearest Lord Jesus, how are we to teach them all that they need to know in this world? It's all so different from what they're used to. Still, it was different from what I was used to when I first came here, but I've been here for so long now... Ah, well. I promise, Lord, that I shan't worry about it any more. I give it to You; all of it! Please let Your Sovereign Will be done. In Jesus' precious Name, Amen."  
  
Sivi awoke to find her husband already gone from the room and a smell of smoke hanging ominously in the air. For any other woman, this might not have been a big deal, but as Sivi's husband WAS a Noldorin Elf, and thus not used to all the modern conveniences of our world, there was no end to the prospective calamities he could cause through his ignorance. Sivi hopped out of bed and immediately tripped over her long Celtic nightgown.  
  
'Such grace from one of your noble heritage,' she laughed at herself.  
  
When she arrived in the kitchen, her suspicions were confirmed. Ereinion stood with his back against the bar, studying with no little consternation the formidable blaze issuing from the stovetop range. All four of the eyes were turned on high. Looking at his wife with wide, penitent, and much confusèd eyes, he murmured uncertainly,  
  
"Is... is it SUPPOSED to do that?"  
  
With a gentle, tolerant smile, she went to the stove and turned off all of the eyes as she quietly replied,  
  
"No."  
  
She got a glass from the cabinet, filled it with water from the sink, and doused the flames. Then she turned and folded expectantly her white-clad arms.  
  
"What did you think that you were doing?" she asked softly.  
  
"I thought... the little knobs - are they not 'light-switches like those that you showed me yesterday before Derek came? The metal began to glow red..."  
  
He stopped when she began to laugh and shake her head at the same time.  
  
"My Love, that is a stove," Sivi told him with an exasperated mirth. "Here; let me show you a little about household appliances."  
  
Sivi entertained a certain gentle patience for her Elven husband, but after two hours of complicated explanations about microwaves and the spectrum beyond visible light; refrigerators and ice-makers; and kitchen sinks and garbage disposals, her tiredness and aggravation were beginning to get the better of her.  
  
'At least,' she tried to reason, 'I didn't come in and find him with those adorable pointed ears stuck in the microwave. After all, he only came to this world yesterday.'  
  
Just then, the telephone rang, and Ereinion jumped. For a human Man, a jump is no great matter, but for an Elf, a jump means a leap of some distance. Ereinion landed on his haunches on top of the refrigerator. With a sigh, Sivi picked up the phone.  
  
"Hello?" she said, trying not to laugh at her husband's mystified expression.  
  
"Hey, Sivi?" came the timid and upset voice of Andrea, one of Sivi's good friends.  
  
"Andrea, heyla! What's going on?"  
  
"Uhmmmm, Sivi?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Legolas found the hairdryer."  
  
"O no! Is he hurt?" Sivi asked in alarm.  
  
"Uh... no."  
  
"You know my hamster, Celi?" Andrea queried miserably.  
  
"Great Scott! Yes, of course, I do. What's he done to her?"  
  
"Uh, he... well, last night, I was explaining to him how a hairdryer works, right?"  
  
"OK..."  
  
"Well, this morning I introduced him to Celi and how cute she was, right?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"OK, you know how Celi's cage is on the bathroom counter, right?"  
  
"Mmm-hmm..."  
  
"Well, he took her out of the cage to play with her..."  
  
"I'm listening..." Sivi said, trying not to rush her friend, but at the same time impatient to know what had happened.  
  
"Well," Andrea continued, "he dropped her in the toilet."  
  
"Hamsters can't swim."  
  
On the top of the refrigerator still, Ereinion furrowed his brow. With an irritated glance upward, Sivi motioned for him to get down. He leaped again, landing on his feet like a cat - but sock feet and linoleum floors don't mix. The feet hit the floor, the socks slipped on the floor, the feet flew up in the air, and the ELF hit the floor. Sivi sighed and stuck a finger in her phone-free ear.  
  
"Well, he fished her out with the plunger," Andrea was saying.  
  
"So, she's Ok, then?"  
  
"Well, yeah, I think so, but..."  
  
"But what? Spit it out!"  
  
"he thought I might get mad, I guess, so he blow-dried her, and now... now..."  
  
"O, great."  
  
"CELI'S A KOOSH-BALL!!" 


	2. These Dreams Go On

Heyla, EHAB here. It's questions and answer time again, and this section might be longer than the chapter, if not for the fact that Phe-Chan outdid herself this time. * Marevanye, I actually don't know whether Mithrandir the Hamster is going to make any appearances or not. Phe-Chan had mentioned it, but the idea kind of died. *LalaithoftheBruinen, yes, I have heard the Hamster Dance Song. It's adorable. * Wicked Lady, I'm aware that the story does not make this quite clear, or hasn't yet, at least, but it is inferred that Ereinion Gil-galad' full modernized name is Erin Gild (hence the reference in Chapter One to Siobhán Gild). That way, he is easily provided with a first name and a last name that make sense. *General question. More than one person has asked whether or not there will be any more mention of the Sarah/Haldir pairing. Indeed, indeed, of course there will, but it must be patient with us, precious, patient, yes, quite. ^-^ * Leah, we're sorry it's taken us so long to answer your question. If you turn a bottle of water upside down (this will make sense in a minute, I promise), the water comes out of it in spurts, with air bubbles in between. However, if you poke a hole in that bottle, the air can escape from the side opening while all of the water gushes out the bottle's mouth in the space of (according to my father) a very few seconds. (I think he said just two, but I'm not sure on that.) It comes out hard, fast, and uninterrupted.  
  
The same is true of an intoxicating beverage, which in Gil-galad's special case would be the Surge. When Derek poked a hole in the can, he provided an escape for most of the air in the can, so that there would be no air bubbles. Thus, when Gil-galad opened the can, the liquid shot straight down his throat into his stomach, causing almost instant drunkenness. Once again, this was a mean-spirited prank by a snobbish jerk. Please do NOT attempt this! I assure you that I have not and that neither has Phe-Chan.  
  
*Hoshinekoyasha, we come to your question lastly because it is the one that has given us the most pause. We are glad you like the story, and we in no way wish to make you annoyed or uncomfortable. However, it is our mutual decision that we simply cannot remove God from our fanfictions. He is an integral part of our lives and our writings, and we feel that we must not ignore Him in either category. Also, we do not see that it is possible to have a fic centering around characters that are Angelic Powers without God. You can have God without angels, but you can't have angels without God. We hope you can still enjoy our fic in spite of its spiritual overtones. - EHAB  
  
Yay! New chapter of a new story! Some notes on this  
  
chapter: Waffles made with pancake mix are good  
  
waffles. That is true. No really, try it!- Phe-Chan  
  
The cold air whirled around her, biting like needles.  
  
Andrea stood alone, surrounded deep shadows. In the  
  
darkness, she tried to figure out where she was.  
  
Across the sky, lightning flashed. Thunder boomed  
  
loudly, seeming to come from all around her. Not  
  
knowing why, Andrea ran. She ran down the concrete  
  
path, passing bushes and unfamiliar buildings. Then  
  
suddenly, there was no ground beneath her.  
  
Andrea rolled painfully down the stairs, not stopping  
  
until she had collided with something tall and smooth  
  
and cold as ice. After a moment, she opened her eyes.  
  
She was leaning against the glass wall of a huge  
  
aquarium. Something large moved within the tank, and  
  
Andrea watched it, hypnotized by the creature's grace.  
  
Cold water lapped over the side of the tank, spraying  
  
her face with drops.  
  
"Salt water?" Andrea asked the emptiness. Again, there  
  
was lightning and rolling thunder. The large creature  
  
moved away from the glass and into the dark gloom of  
  
the water. Andrea stood.  
  
"Where am I?" There was no answer, but none had really  
  
been expected. Andrea climbed the stairs she had fall  
  
down and faced the dark clouds. It began to rain.  
  
Andrea was scared, and cold... and completely alone.  
  
She began to move again, but this time with slow,  
  
trembling steps.  
  
"Hello? Is anyone there? Legolas? Sivi? Anyone?" More  
  
thunder was her only reply. Andrea was crying now,  
  
trying her best to hide from the cold. Then there was  
  
a soft crunch, so soft she shouldn't have been able to  
  
hear it. Andrea looked down and moved her foot.  
  
Something silver glittered on the ground, even though  
  
there wasn't enough light for it to do so. She bent  
  
and picked up the chain, for that's what it was. A  
  
small charm dangled at the end. Andrea's eyes widened  
  
in recognition of the small dolphin with a missing  
  
tail fin. And she awoke.  
  
Andrea sat blinked up at the ceiling, still trembling  
  
slightly. Slowly, she stood and left the room as  
  
quietly as possible. Luckily, she managed not to wake  
  
Legolas. Once she was out in the hall, she let out a  
  
sigh and shook her head to clear away the cobwebs of  
  
sleep. She made her way to the hall bathroom and found  
  
her hamster awake.  
  
"Good morning, Celi," she whispered as cheerfully as  
  
she could. "I had the weirdest dream, you know." Celi  
  
twitched her nose and went back to eating a sunflower  
  
seed. "So," Andrea went on, "are you feeling better  
  
now?" Celi continued to eat. "Well, that's nice to  
  
know."  
  
"Do you always speak with your pet at four in the  
  
morning?" asked a smooth voice from behind her. Andrea  
  
turned to face Legolas's familiar smile and grinned  
  
back. Celi made a scratching noise and retreated into  
  
the little hamster house.  
  
"I think she may not have  
  
forgiven me yet....."  
  
"She will," Andrea answered, giving her pretty one a  
  
hug. "Ohayo and good day to you." Legolas returned the  
  
hug.  
  
"And may I ask what this strange dream of yours was?"  
  
"Nothing really..... just a weird dream. It's not really  
  
important." Legolas raised an eyebrow, but said  
  
nothing else on the matter. Andrea's stomach growled.  
  
"Hungry, Squee?" Andrea nodded and pulled Legolas into  
  
the kitchen.  
  
"It's a Monday and I'm up early, so I'm teaching you  
  
to make waffles, she announced happily, pulling out a  
  
big box of pancake mix.  
  
~*~*~*~Tuesday Afternoon~*~*~*~  
  
Legolas walked into the room Andrea called the studio.  
  
Upon opening the door, loud music assaulted his  
  
delicately pointed ears. In the middle of the room sat  
  
Andrea covered in what looked to be reddish mud from  
  
her elbows to the tips of her fingers. There was also  
  
a drying swipe going across her forehead and down the  
  
side of her cheek. Her clothes were also covered, but  
  
they had so many spots of paint and other such things  
  
that it was hard to assess what part of the total mess  
  
that covered them was recent. Her bright copper hair  
  
had been pulled back into a messy bun that was all but  
  
falling down. Legolas's keen elven eyes could detect  
  
flicks of the mud hidden among the flame like strands  
  
as well. She had yet to notice him as he leaned over  
  
her shoulder to see what his love was up to.  
  
Between her hands, a small sculpture was forming. For  
  
all that Legolas could tell, it was a tree that was  
  
wrapping itself around a vase. He watched as Andrea  
  
carved out details on the trees trunk. As she worked  
  
she sang softly along with her music.  
  
"Like a small butterfly, like a bird in the sky. Feels  
  
like the star that I'm not. You tell me things that I  
  
never knew. So what am I supposed to do? Running  
  
around like a little kid, one, two, three and I'm hit,  
  
hit, hit. Like a Dragonfly flying high in the sky,  
  
there is a light above and beyond you and I. Like a  
  
Dragonfly flying high in the sky, there is a light  
  
above you and I. As she moved to pick a tool off the  
  
floor, Andrea's hair slipped from its holder. With a  
  
grin, Legolas reached over and pulled it back out of  
  
the way. Andrea jumped nearly a foot.  
  
"Sorry, my Squee, I meant not to startle you," he  
  
whispered softly, braiding the soft strands of hair  
  
and securing them with the run away hair tie. Andrea  
  
waited until he was done before turning to face him.  
  
As she did, Legolas pressed a soft kiss to the clean  
  
part of her forehead. Andrea looked down at the phone  
  
her elf had set aside.  
  
"You mother called," he answered to her unspoken  
  
question. "I was told to pry you way from whatever  
  
project you were working on and put the phone within  
  
your reach." Andrea looked at the phone as if it would  
  
bite. She hadn't talked to her mom since the return  
  
from Middle Earth, as she was not sure how the news of  
  
her new husband would smooth over..... The phone chose  
  
that moment to ring. Quickly wiping her hand on a near  
  
by rag, Andrea answered.  
  
"Hello? Oh, hey Mom..... er..... That was Legolas,  
  
he's..... um, well, you might could say that..... well, um  
  
..... IkindagotmarriedtohimafteratriptoMiddleEarth."  
  
Legolas raised an eyebrow, impressed that Andrea could  
  
talk so fast. There was silence for a moment. "Mom?"  
  
Andrea asked after a while. There was another stretch  
  
of silence. "Yes, we are..... er, not very long ago?  
  
..... You're mad, aren't you? .....Yes, I understand,  
  
but..... it's hard to explain..... no, we've know each  
  
other for a long time..... it was a..... er..... long distance  
  
relationship..... no, I very much doubt that he's a  
  
crazy stalker..... Speak to..... yes'm." Andrea handed the  
  
phone to Legolas, a look of panic on her face. Legolas  
  
took the phone cautiously, not knowing if it was safe  
  
to hold the device close to his ear or not.  
  
"IF YOU ARE A CRAZY STALKER, I WILL MAKE YOU VERY  
  
SORRY, YOUNG MAN!" shouted a voice on the other end of  
  
the phone line.  
  
"He's NOT a stalker!" Andrea shouted at the phone. "Or  
  
crazy!" Legolas blinked, the loud yelling making him  
  
feel slightly dizzy.  
  
"Put Andrea back on the phone." Legolas did as he was  
  
told, too stunned and confused to do otherwise.  
  
"Mom, he's not..... But I have work on Saturday and  
  
classes Monday mor - yes'm, I -- we will be there. Yes..... I  
  
love you..... Bye." Andrea slumped back on her little  
  
stool. "We are going to visit her this weekend," she  
  
informed Legolas, sounding tired and worried. "I do  
  
not think she was very happy....."  
  
~*~*~*~Noon the following Saturday~*~*~*~  
  
Andrea stopped the car in front of a two-story house.  
  
She reached over and squeezed Legolas's hand before  
  
opening the door. In her head, she was praying for  
  
some sort of miracle. Never had she been so nervous,  
  
not even when she had been facing orcs and evils her  
  
own world could only imagine. A glance at Legolas told  
  
her that he was just as nervous, and had no clue what  
  
to expect.  
  
They approached the door, and Andrea rang the bell  
  
before letting herself in, pulling Legolas close  
  
behind her. Suddenly, there was a brown haired blur  
  
tackling Andrea and she let out a surprised squeal as  
  
she fell to the floor.  
  
"ANDREE! I MISSED YOU!" shouted the small boy now  
  
sitting atop his older sister. "Come home more,  
  
Andree!"  
  
"Hey, Tony..... I love you too..... let me up now,  
  
alright....." Andrea choked out.  
  
"NO! You have ta promise to come more!" Tony replied  
  
loudly. Legolas decided the pair must be related.  
  
"Let your sister up, Tony. Andrea, come here,"  
  
demanded a voice Legolas recognized from the phone.  
  
Andrea stood as soon as the weight of the small child  
  
had been removed. She led Legolas into the living  
  
room. Several things were apparent to Legolas upon  
  
entering the room. The first was that, if Andrea's  
  
mother had designed it, then she liked blue. The  
  
second was that he would learn a great deal about his  
  
Squee simply by looking at the hundreds of pictures  
  
scattered about the place.  
  
"Er.....Hi Mom." Andrea's mother did not look very  
  
happy. "Um.....meet Legolas." Legolas found himself  
  
being pushed forward to face the woman on the couch.  
  
Her eyes widened a bit when she saw him.  
  
"You are the stalker?"  
  
"He's not a stalker. He's an elf," Andrea muttered.  
  
"I am Legolas. It is a pleasure to meet yo-- "  
  
"Where are you from, Legolas?" Andrea's mother asked,  
  
cutting the greeting short.  
  
"Mirkwood." The phone rang. With a few words  
  
declaring she would be back, Andrea's mother went to  
  
answer, leaving the two alone.  
  
"I think.....well, it could have gone worse," Andrea  
  
whispered. Legolas smiled slightly and went over to  
  
examine some of the photographs on the wall.  
  
"Mom's a  
  
photographer," Andrea said in way of explanation of  
  
the number of the things.  
  
"What's this one?" Legolas pointed to a picture of a  
  
man and a very young red headed girl in front of a  
  
glass whale tank.  
  
"That's at Sea World. I used to go there every year  
  
for my birthday....." Legolas looked over to see his  
  
Squee looking away from that picture.  
  
"Is this your father?"  
  
"He's not here anymore," Andrea said, mostly without  
  
emotion, though she wouldn't meet his eyes. Then she  
  
laughed. "Hey look, this is one of Sivi. She was  
  
acting in a play. That was a fun day. The guy playing  
  
Romeo tripped, and the whole set fell on him. That  
  
night, we had to remake the entire thing..... I don't  
  
think I've ever had that much coffee since." The elf  
  
knew very well that she was trying to change the  
  
subject. Still, he accepted that, and let her babble  
  
on about other pictures. After a while, the hyper boy  
  
called Tony joined them. When Andrea's mother  
  
reentered the room, she was surprised to see Legolas  
  
giving her son a ride on his shoulders.  
  
"Elf is tall! Now I'm up higher than you, Andree!"  
  
"That's not a very difficult task, actually."  
  
"LEGOLAS! Quit teasing! It's not very funny."  
  
"I'm sorry, Melamin."  
  
She sighed, almost sadly, as she watched her  
  
children. As angry as she wanted to be.....they were  
  
happy. Perhaps that made it, if not alright, then at  
  
least a little bit less wrong. Besides, there were  
  
reasons Andrea didn't know..... might never know..... but  
  
they shouldn't affect her when she was this happy. She  
  
walked into the room.  
  
"You said you had work?" she asked of Andrea. Andrea  
  
looked up, confused.  
  
"Yes'm."  
  
"Then go. And tell your friends I said hi." Andrea  
  
smiled brightly and gave her mom a huge hug.  
  
"Thanks, Mom. I love you." The couple said goodbye to  
  
Tony and headed to the car. They stopped by the  
  
apartment so Andrea could call and let people know  
  
that she would be at work that night, and then they  
  
headed to The Place.  
  
Its actual name was "The Place To Be". It was a  
  
two-story restaurant with brightly painted doors that  
  
clashed with the dull brick of the outside walls. Once  
  
inside, the noise and color were enough to make one  
  
dizzy. The tables didn't match, and the bright walls  
  
had drawings and writing all over them. The music was  
  
currently a bouncy sounding song called Butterfly, but  
  
the next one could well be something slow and sappy.  
  
A sign by the entrance proclaimed that the specials of  
  
the day were Klah, hot chocolate with cinnamon and  
  
nutmeg, chili in a bread bowl, and that the poetry  
  
club was holding a can drive on Wednesday. Andrea  
  
slipped her hand into Legolas's before diving into the  
  
crowd.  
  
"Hey! Andrea, over here, girl!" shouted a girl over  
  
the noise.  
  
"Ohayo, Bonnie-chan!" Andrea shouted back, making her  
  
way to the girl. Legolas looked at the girl with  
  
interest as she talked excitedly to Andrea about the  
  
used bookstore having a sale. The girl had loose hair,  
  
but no bangs, and long fingernails. She wore flared  
  
pants with lacing and a crimson shirt with similar  
  
lacing. She also appeared to enjoy laughing..... a lot.  
  
"By the way, who is the hot guy with you? Is the  
  
Squee finally dating?" Bonny asked with a grin. Andrea  
  
blushed like a tomato.  
  
"Well..... you could say that..... I guess." 


	3. Counsel of the Wise

EHAB here. To Leah: I'm sorry that we have confused you. If you have specific questions, please ask, and we will attempt to answer them in the next author note. Captain Oblivious: Sorry that this has taken so long to answer. "Squee" is Legolas' pet name for Andrea because she is always "squeaking, squealing, or squeezing something or someone" (see Chapter Seven of "Wishes of Golden Chain"). Thank you to everyone who reviewed. And now (drum roll) Chapter Three: Counsel of the Wise  
  
Sivi was out on her balcony again; it was her favourite place in which to pray. She was deeply troubled this night, needing guidance from her Lord, an inspiration of what she should do next.  
  
"Lord Jesus, thank You again for watching over us all. Thank You for not letting Legolas flip the car this morning. I never knew that it would be quite this dangerous to teach an Elf to drive... but that isn't really what I've come to ask You about. I'm sure that with Your help, they'll all learn in due time. God, I've got a lot on my mind tonight. Where should I start?  
  
"Andrea is having dreams again, more frequently now and stranger. Usually her dreams forebode some new change, and both You and I know why that's true, even though she doesn't. I confess, I'm nervous about what they might mean. Yet that isn't what bothers me most. You see, Lord, she's confiding in ME. Well, and she's always confided in me, but she has a husband now. I wouldn't be worried that she's telling me these things if only she were telling Legolas, too, but she isn't. She's keeping her dreams and what she knows of her past secret from him, and he KNOWS it, and it hurts him, and I can see that it hurts him, even if he would never admit it to anyone. Why won't she trust him, Jesus? Does she simply not want to worry him? Is it just that she's not used to having him to go to? I don't understand, but You do. Please help her work through whatever pain she's facing and let them fight it together - with You, of course.  
  
"God, I also feel... I don't know, skittish. I feel like her dreams ARE meant to foretell, and my subconscious agrees with whatever it is that they're trying to say. Someone's coming, something's going to happen, and it's going to be big. Lord, we just got THROUGH with an adventure, and I'm TIRED. I want to rest and spend time with my own husband. Still, I know that You are with us, and I'm sure that You will help us with whatever comes. Please give me strength, patience, and perseverance, as well as Grace to last the day. I love You, Lord. Please help me to love You more. In Jesus' Name, Amen."  
  
She fell silent for a long moment. Suddenly, she began again.  
  
"Lord Jesus, it's me again," she smiled. "I was wondering... I need... I need a woman to talk to, someone that I can confide in. Of course I confide in You, Lord, but I know that You understand that I need someone, not to take your place, but to help me listen for Your Will and understand what You would do in my situation. God, will You please help me to think of someone? Your Will be done, Lord. In Jesus' Name I ask these things, Amen."  
  
All was quiet as she thought hard. After a while, she smiled.  
  
"Thanks, God."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The phone rang about three times before Andrea groggily reached out to pluck it off of the receiver.  
  
"Gummi bears," she stated matter-of-factly, and then hung up.  
  
After a moment, the phone began to ring again, this time wakening Legolas, who sighed, readjusted his pajamas, and reached over Andrea to answer the phone.  
  
"Legolas?" came Sivi's voice.  
  
"Yes, Lady?" Legolas answered politely.  
  
"I'm sorry to wake you up."  
  
"Think nothing of it, Lady. You were obviously not going to rouse my wife, so I picked up the phone."  
  
"Well, I shouldn't call so late, but I needed to ask you - what is Galadriel's phone, er, mirror number?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Galadriel was going to consult her mirror. There was an uneasiness in the world, a chill that had nothing to do with the sparkling autumn frosts. Something was watching her - it was not merely a vague premonition, the desire of mortal Men to glance hastily over their shoulders in shadowy corridors; no, someone was watching Galadriel and liked not what they saw. She could feel their malice, jealousy, and ill-content directed specially at her. She was in their way and knew it to be so, and she trembled, for behind all of these shapeless emotions of her foe, she could discern an ancient and terrible might that was oddly familiar. Sauron had not been so strong as the resting, waiting power concealed behind this heavy veil. This felt far older and immeasurably more wicked.  
  
As she descended the steps into her little dell, the mirror emitted a shrill, prolonged ring. So unsettled and deep in thought was the Elven Queen when the mirror rang, and so badly did it startle her, that the Lady of Light almost pulled a Squee. Her long-fingered hands flew to her alabaster throat, and her cobalt eyes reshaped themselves into what more closely resembled orbs than ovals. She collected herself quickly, ashamed.  
  
"Hello?" she answered the mirror, flicking back a strand of glittering golden hair and approaching the silver basin.  
  
"Lady of Light," Sivi said respectfully.  
  
"Daughter of the Valar, is all well with thee?" Galadriel inquired.  
  
"I... I have called to ask you for advice," Sivi said almost shyly.  
  
"Then all is not well. How, now, that the Daughter of Varda asks my counsel, who am but a mere Elf?"  
  
"A very good friend of mine once told me with much vehemence that there is no such thing as a 'mere Elf,' my Lady," Sivi grinned. "At any rate, nothing of cataclysmic importance has happened, or not yet, at least; I only wanted to talk to you about Andrea."  
  
"She is happy with her prince?" Galadriel murmured curiously.  
  
"O, of course! He is her 'Pretty One.' Yet she does - and herein lies my question - she does, in fact, keep some secrets from him, and I know that it bothers him. I think it bothers me still more," she added worriedly.  
  
For a time, Galadriel made no answer. She curled her fingers just slightly beneath her beautifully shaped chin and stroked Nenya with her other hand. At length, she stirred herself with a stately tilt of her gilt head. Her deep eyes blinked reflectively at Sivi.  
  
"Why?" she asked quietly.  
  
"That's just it; I don't know why she won't tell him. She tells me because she has always told me everything-and anyway, I know more about Andrea than she knows herself, though that is not the point it. Does she just not want to bother him with these things, or can she not trust him, or is she just not used to having him there to talk to?"  
  
"Certainly the matter deserves consideration," Galadriel agreed softly, "and to answer you, I think I should need to know a little more about the things that she refuses to impart to him, if you do not feel that that would be betrayal on your part. However, that was not my question."  
  
"I apologize, Lady. Ask on."  
  
"It is no matter for apology. I only meant why does it upset YOU?"  
  
"Well, Lady, I - I am happy for Andrea. She has finally been able to find her prince. I am glad for her, and I do not like to see a conflict arise that may mar this beautiful thing that is their happiness."  
  
"Indeed, we are careful for our friends' sake that they may not lose the treasure they so long have sought, and it is in some measure ours to help them guard it as friends, yet..." Galadriel paused.  
  
"Say on, Lady; I listen," Sivi said respectful nod.  
  
"Do you, then, feel responsible for their marriage?" Galadriel asked bemusèdly.  
  
"Lady, let me think on this before I answer thee, for I understand that my words may be misconstrued... No, Lady," she replied after a pause, "I know that I cannot make their marriage either fail or succeed. I understand that it is theirs to shape their relationship together. Yet I do, in great measure, feel responsible for Andrea."  
  
"Why?" Galadriel asked sedately. "Or, rather, in what way?"  
  
"As a friend, of course, Lady, and as... Lady, forgive, I am not permitted to say, but I WILL say that I am almost wholly responsible for her in a sense that I am commanded not to impart to you."  
  
"I see. Yet this responsibility is, in nature, a task given you, and not one that you have lain upon your own shoulders?"  
  
"It is given to me, Lady, though gladly did I accept the duty."  
  
"Can you tell me who gave it you?" Galadriel asked.  
  
"The fourteen Valar together," Sivi replied, "but most especially Manwë my father and Ulmo his friend."  
  
"Are you responsible for her mind, her body, or -?"  
  
"I am responsible for keeping her body and her mind sound, but I am not responsible for her happiness. However, because she is my friend..." Sivi trailed off.  
  
"Yes, I understand. If you ask my counsel, I will tell you that I do not think you should worry for your friend. In time, I believe she will understand that she can go to her husband with these secrets. Until then, it is a matter contained in their marriage. You cannot do much to assuage the hurts without being perceived as interfering."  
  
"I appreciate your advice and will follow it," Sivi said. "Yet there is another matter I would discuss with you."  
  
"Go on," Galadriel said with interest.  
  
"Andrea has dreams," Sivi said, "and ever they come with greatest ferocity just before something momentous is to occur."  
  
"And she is having them now?" Galadriel asked, a shiver pervading her body.  
  
"She is, and further, I feel... a blackness."  
  
"Yes," Galadriel said, the chills coming in waves, "it is felt here as well, by me especially. Something arises in might, yet wishes for now to remain concealed."  
  
"What can we do?" Sivi queried urgently.  
  
"In that I cannot counsel you. I do not know." 


	4. Vanishing Act

Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo, melloni! EHAB here. This is another bridge chapter; it's short, I hope it's sweet, and it's to the point to a fault, but if you don't read it, you'll miss the beginning of an essential plot thread. Also, I realize that we have said that our posting days are now Thursdays. However, a conflict has arisen and I can no longer post on Thursdays. Phe-Chan cannot post on Tuesdays. (We feel kind of like the people in the "Jack Sprat" nursery rhyme.) Thus, I will be posting the chapters that I am writing, such as this chapter and chapter six, on Tuesdays, and Phe-chan will be posting her chapters, like chapter five, on Thursdays. Therefore, please expect chapter five, not this Thursday, the 23rd, but next Thursday the 30th, and chapter six on Tuesday the 4th ( I think it's the 4th).  
  
Also, thanks to all the reviewers of chapter three. A couple of you have asked if the new conflicts involve Morniwen. I will say this only: if Galadriel thinks it's worse than Sauron, then it can't be only Morniwen. ACTUALLY, now I think of it, Galadriel did everything but name the evil as a proper noun. She even stated the definition of its name. Now I leave you to wonder and ponder and puzzle and puzz till your puzzler is sore, and maybe think of things you haven't before, because I'm just evil like that. EE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE!  
  
Chapter Four: Vanishing Act  
  
Eowyn sat stiffly in her chair. This was ridiculous. Everyone in the room had questions, and no one had any answers. They hadn't even begun the discussion yet, but she knew already that none of them knew any more than she did on the matter. No one knew anything about it at all, and that was the problem. Aragorn spoke.  
  
"Faramir, Eowyn, welcome. You are the last that we expect, I believe, so we will begin. Faramir, you are losing soldiers in the mountains?"  
  
"Lord Aragorn, we are, and none too few. What takes them, I cannot say, but none who have passed what was the Morgul Vale have returned," Faramir said uneasily.  
  
"Do the warriors of Men disappear as well?" Gimli asked in alarm. "The people of Erebor dwindle, and quickly, though none can say why."  
  
"The Men of Rohan also go and do not return," Eomer added, shaking his head ruefully.  
  
"Where do they go? Where are they bound when you see them last?" Queen Arwen asked concernedly.  
  
"Lady, it matters not," Eomer replied sadly. "A man may vanish if he but venture from the closer to the further side of Edoras."  
  
"Hammer and tongs, we must comprehend the thing, if we are to stop it!" Gimli cried.  
  
"Indeed, but how, if no one sees pr knows what is happening?" Eowyn protested.  
  
"What of my grandmother, the Lady Galadriel?" Arwen suggested. "She sees much."  
  
"An idea, Arwen! Who can make the trek to Lorien?" Aragorn asked, pleased.  
  
"If anyone is to go, why do we not go ourselves?" Eowyn said.  
  
"Who would watch our realms in our absence?" Aragorn inquired of her.  
  
"This menace seems to be spreading and growing just perfectly without our staying to watch it," Eowyn said pointedly. "There is nothing we can do to stop it if we stay, and I would rather the Lady give her judgment to us than to a messenger."  
  
"She is right, lord," Faramir sighed. "We could put Beregond in charge while we are away."  
  
"I have already left one of my captains in charge of Rohan until I return," Eomer added.  
  
"Very well, then," Aragorn nodded. "Let there be no ceremony to alarm the people. All gather their own provisions, and in three days I will before witnesses declare Beregond my regent until I return, and we will set out for Lorien." 


	5. Funny Looks

Heyla, Gang, it's EHAB again. This was supposed to be Chapter Six, but some things came up, and Phe-Chan was unable to post last week, and we decided that the chapters are pretty much interchangeable as far as order goes, so we flipped them around. We actually did that with Chapters Three and Four, too, but I can't remember why. Anywho *ducks Meggie's pillow* (inside joke), this chapter is fairly to the point, unlike my author note.  
Many of you guessed at our enigmatic evil, and most of the guesses, if not all, were JUST shy of the mark (wicked grin). All the same, very good tries all, very, very good; I commend you, and thank you for your reviews! - EHAB  
And now, Chapter Five: Funny Looks  
  
Weeks passed, and on a time the small company that had set out from Minas Tirith came at last to Caras Galadhon: Aragorn, Arwen, Faramir, Eowyn, Eomer, and Gimli. Galadriel and Celeborn welcomed them and, when the group had rested, had chairs brought for them before the Elven thrones, and they all of them took counsel together. Aragorn revealed to his Elven hosts the troubles of Gondor, Rohan, and Erebor. The Elves were silent in grief and uncertainty.  
  
"Are the Elves afflicted also?" asked Aragorn. "Do the Elven warriors disappear as well?"  
  
"No," Galadriel answered softly.  
  
"Forgive me, Lady, but I thought that you were," Gimli said in some surprise. "At least, when I stayed in the halls of Thranduil - I had gone there with Legolas, according to our pact, and I woke one morning to discover the whole palace in an uproar because no one could find him."  
  
"Legolas! Legolas is gone?" Aragorn cried. "You did not tell me, Gimli!"  
  
"I waited for the counsel of the Lady," Gimli said uncomfortably.  
  
"Legolas! Ai, ai..." Aragorn put his face in his hands.  
  
"But Legolas is with Andrea," Galadriel said, frowning.  
  
All looked at her in shock, save Celeborn.  
  
"Andrea? The little red-haired child from Helm's Deep?" asked Gimli, ignoring the funny looks the others were giving him.  
  
"Yes. I spoke with their friend Sivi not long ago, and they both do quite well," Galadriel said calmly.  
  
Aragorn and Gimli slumped in relief.  
  
"In point of fact," Celeborn spoke up, "we were just about to go and pay them a visit, as soon as Haldir arrived from the North Border, and Arwen's father Elrond from Rivendell. Would you care to come with us? There is one among them who could perhaps explain some of these mysteries to us."  
  
"Of course we will," Aragorn said; "When should we be ready to start?" 


	6. DDR and Driving Lessons

Sorry to have taken this long. *bows* There's just so MUCH going on right now. Baka reality. And so people know, you can now find some pictures from this fic at phe- chan.deviantart.com I think there are about 7 from the fics. Enjoy now. Ja ne!  
  
~Phe-chan  
  
EHAB here. Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo and all that good stuff. ( We're extremely sorry that this is so late. Phe-chan was out of state, and my computer has had a virus. I hope everyone will agree that these were circumstances beyond our control. The first part of this chapter is the same as what you may have already read posted as Chapter Six, but there is a good deal more at the end. Chapter 7 should be up before Friday, if I can manage it. Thank you for all of the reviews! - EHAB  
  
Chapter 6: "DDR and Driving Lessons"  
  
Andrea flew through the deep darkness, wet cold pressing into her nightshirt. Silver fish darted about above her, though they wouldn't swim lower than the faint rays of sun. Loneliness echoed in this place. And yet, the lonely sounds became a song she could not shake from her head. She drifted, hypnotized by the soft melody. Then a shadow of thought, an unnamable urgency, opened her eyes.  
  
Her mind panicked at the sight of being so deep into the water, and she fought to reach air, only to find she could go on without it. The strange thoughts pushed her down into the shadows, and she tried to remember what was important but had never known to begin with. A glimmer, very much like a star, was hiding in the shadows. It was this that she swam towards. It seemed to dance in tune with the water. She sank downwards.  
  
Deep blue turned to black and colors even deeper. Still the glimmer seemed to grow. And suddenly, the glow was everywhere. Before her was a blinding pearl of sun and moon.  
  
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!  
  
Andrea's eyes opened slowly at the sound of the alarm clock. She reached towards the snooze button.  
  
THUMP!  
  
Andrea's eyes widened at the sight of the Elvish dagger planted firmly into the now silent alarm clock. She rolled over with a growl and poked her husband.  
  
"You did it again." Legolas mumbled something in Elvish and slept on. Andrea tugged at his sleeve. He opened his eyes and blinked at her.  
  
"You did it again. And I'm going to start hiding your daggers if you don't stop killing my clocks." She sat up and began to tug at the dagger. The blade stayed stuck tight.  
  
"I am sorry, my Squee. I did not mean to," Legolas whispered earnestly, reaching around her and pulling the blade free in a smooth, easy motion. Andrea fell back down onto the bed and blinked up at the ceiling.  
  
"Pancakes," she said after a moment, and got out of bed for real. She turned and pulled Legolas out after her, and the two headed for the kitchen to make breakfast.  
  
An hour or so later saw Andrea sitting on the couch, curled in Legolas's warm embrace. And yet, there was something wrong. Very wrong. The little back corner of her mind was screaming at the part trying to relax. She felt tense, as if waiting for the world to move. The morning news played a report about an animal shelter adoption event. Andrea leaned farther into her love, smiling as he stroked her hair. But the feeling wouldn't disappear. Restless, restless, restless...  
  
"Is something wrong?" Legolas questioned at Andrea's badly suppressed sigh.  
  
"Just...wanting to get out and do something I guess. But...not driving lessons," she answered softly. Legolas leaned over and kissed her cheek softly.  
  
"Did I scare you that badly?"  
  
"Let's just say that I didn't know the car could go that fast." This comment caused the elf to chuckle. Andrea couldn't help but laugh back. "Would you mind going to the mall?"  
  
"Not at all, but Squee..."  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Not in bunny slippers." Andrea blushed.  
  
"Right." Legolas's bell-like laughter followed her down the hall.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The mall was filled with people bustling about, and music blared from every store, mixing into something that wasn't music at all, but a welcome sound all the same. Andrea felt better in the middle of all the activity. She split a giant pretzel with Legolas as she scanned the windows for sales. Mostly, she shopped for him, buying a lot of blue and dark green. Legolas was amused at how his Squee could react so enthusiastically to every new outfit he tried on. He was glad she was acting like her old self again.  
  
As they walked, toting multiple bags, one song seemed to blare above all the other noise. Legolas recognized it as something his wife had played before. Andrea stopped and grinned up at him.  
  
"It's DDR," she said excitedly. And then she was pulling him into the group crowded around the arcade. In the center of the crowd was the strangest machine Legolas had ever seen. It was a screen and two platforms of brightly colored squares. The music was coming from it, and two people danced upon the squares in time, or almost in time, to the little arrows moving up the screen. Andrea laughed happily and dug a few tokens from her purse. The two dancing people on the platforms were earning cheers from the crowd.  
  
"We can play some, too," Andrea exclaimed happily. She was almost bouncing in her excitement.  
  
"Er...that's alright, Melamin, I would rather just watch..." Andrea gave Legolas a confused look but shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"Alright then...but you don't mind if I go?" Andrea looked longingly at the strange contraption. Legolas chuckled and planted a soft kiss to the top of her head.  
  
"Go on, Squee."  
  
The two dancers finished their turn and Andrea bounced easily onto the platform as another girl stepped up to the second one. They each deposited tokens in the slots, and Andrea used the marked squares to scroll through the songs and looked at the other girl until a silent agreement was reached. Then it began.  
  
At first Andrea stood stock still, and when the first arrow came, she was ready. Her light feet found the rhythm easily. Legolas blinked in surprise. The clumsy girl danced with a surprising balance. Still, she was no elf, and tripped when the song had ended.  
  
"Oooouch."  
  
"You fell again," remarked a cheerful voice. Andrea spun around from her seat on the floor.  
  
"Megan! Ohayo." Megan grinned and waved the Squee and her elf over.  
  
"You are coming with me," she said sternly. "I will not die alone."  
  
"Wha?"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Aaaaaaaaaaah! Uncle! I said UNCLE! SWEET MONKEYS MAKE IT STOOOOOP!"  
  
"No, don't stop on the highway!" Megan screamed. Andrea hit the seat in front of her before being thrown backwards as the SUV raced down the road, an elf behind the wheel.  
  
"Erynen..." Erynsir started, "our turn is the one you're passing." Everyone was flung to the side despite their seatbelts as the car swerved madly around and onto the smaller road. About the time that they did so, a short, square-ish figure stepped out into the direct path of the speeding vehicle.  
  
"BRAAAAAKES!" Megan screamed at the top of her lungs. The SUV halted only inches from the figure. Megan, who had been clutching at the handle, fell forward as it broke. "...my holy fudge handle..."  
  
"Hey isn't that a -" began Sivi. The figure raised a battle-axe.  
  
"GIMLI!" Legolas yelled, leaping out. The dwarf stopped his attack on the car and blinked at the elf. Andrea looked at the empty seat, concerned.  
  
"Was he wearing a seat belt?" she asked of the others. They shrugged as more figures came out of the trees by the road.  
  
Aragorn looked at Legolas in amazement and shock. After a moment of staring, his mind formed only one sentence.  
  
"What are you wearing?"  
  
"Khaki cargo pants, sunglasses, and a green shirt," replied a cheerful voice from the car. Andrea slid rather ungracefully out of the high back seat. "Hiya," she added when she took note of the strange looks she was receiving.  
  
"Hello again, Lass," Gimli said a touch gruffly.  
  
"Gimli! Ohayo, Small and Fuzzy One," Andrea grinned happily. "Who have you brought with you?"  
  
"Everyone, it seems," Sivi commented, stepping from the car and smiling sedately at the newcomers.  
  
"Greetings, Lady," Galadriel said with inclined head.  
  
"Hello, Lady Galadriel. Just call me 'Sivi,' please."  
  
"As you will," the Lady of Light said deferentially, causing Aragorn to wonder just who this "Sivi" was.  
  
"May I ask your errand, Lady of Elves?" Sivi inquired.  
  
"Um... Sivi," Megan from the car, "you're standing in the middle of the road, our car's blocking two lanes of traffic, and you're talking to some people that the average New Yorker could only assume are late for their Broadway dress rehearsal."  
  
"Right. My lords and ladies, would you deem it good to accompany us to a more appropriate place to dine and discuss?" Sivi offered courteously.  
  
"We're gonna have to call a cab," Christina added. "Maybe two. All I know's we won't all fit in the SUV. We're squeezed tight enough as't is."  
  
A car horn blared loudly. Legolas flipped one of his Elven knives from beneath his shirt and sent it whirling through the air until it embedded itself firmly in the offending motorist's hood. The driver looked as though he couldn't decide whether to roll down the window and start cussing or phone the authorities and report a mad knifeman on the loose. Legolas glared at him over the rims of his sunglasses, and the driver decided to do neither.  
  
"We will come, assurèdly," Elrond said politely. "What is a 'cab'?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A good half of an hour later, they arrived outside The Place. Celeborn thanked the taxi driver, still unsure what the strange man meant by "big tip," which seemed about the only thing the driver knew how to say in the Common Tongue. Legolas, who had ridden with the newcomers in one of the taxis after first retrieving his dagger, gave the man a few small, green pieces of paper, which apparently sufficed. They strode into the foyer, only to stand blinking in the whirlwind of colours, odors, and sounds.  
  
"Onh-honh-honh, who eez zeece?" came a strange voice to their left. The newcomers jumped, but the voice continued unperturbed and was soon given a body as a pale, dark-haired boy with a hungry look in his eyes approached from the shadows.  
  
"Andrea-chan, you have brought us... food?"  
  
"Er -" began Andrea.  
  
"Are zey sane? Are zey mentally sound? Zat eez to say... are zey... normal?"  
  
"No, I'm afraid they aren't really very normal at all," Andrea said hurriedly.  
  
"Ah..." the boy sighed, obviously disappointed. He darted back into the shadows, only to accost the party behind them, saying gleefully, "I vant to suck your sanity!"  
  
"Amm... Squee?" Legolas queried.  
  
"That's Zane. He's one of the Normalcy Vampires. Poor thing; he nearly starved a couple of weeks ago until somebody had pity on him and fed him their mother-in-law. He can't eat the Regulars' sanity - they don't have any. No one at The Place is normal."  
  
"I see that," Faramir commented faintly.  
  
They continued inside and found a table. Sarah was working that day, so they made sure to sit in her section. She found them quickly.  
  
"Two things," she said when she had taken their orders: "One, Uncle Elmo went to see Andrea's mom, said he needed to talk to her. Two, Andrea, there's an arachnid in the corner with a pretty for sale."  
  
"All that is code," Megan explained to the newcomers, "for: 'Sarah's Uncle Ulm - I mean, Elmo, has gone out of town to visit Andrea's mother, and there is a man in the corner who keeps a cartload of spiders as pets - and not necessarily in cages -, and who has something shiny that he would like to sell to Andrea.'"  
  
"Oh," said Eowyn.  
  
Andrea slid from the huge, round corner booth and darted across the room. They watched her haggle with the man for a while before Galadriel said,  
  
"Actually, Sivi, we had hoped for an audience with you uncle."  
  
"He should be back in a few hours," Sivi said. "Is it urgent?"  
  
"Well, as a matter of fact," Celeborn began, and the newcomers told their story.  
  
Just as Arwen was explaining, "Grandmother suggested we come to seek your counsel and your uncle's," Andrea came bouncing cheerily back with a beautiful gilded katana in a richly decorated scabbard.  
  
"What did you get it for?" asked Sarah as she set their food down on the table and then sat down to join them.  
  
"What is it?" asked Haldir, Erynen, and Erynsir together.  
  
"It's a katana, silly; a Japanese sword. He sold it to me for five packages of tea, two giant pixi-stix, forty dollars, a favor, and one normal person's sanity," Andrea declared brightly.  
  
"Oh, I didn't know Adam was a Normalcy Vampire," Megan commented.  
  
"Yep. I'm gonna feed him my pet freshman."  
  
"I've never understood why you collect swords, Melamin," Legolas said, shaking his head.  
  
"Sivi does it, too," Andrea protested. "And how did you know I collect swords?"  
  
"Sivi knows how to use them," Gil-galad pointed out.  
  
"And yours aren't exactly that well-hidden, Squee," Legolas added with a smile.  
  
"When we've eaten, how 'bout I call Jeremie and Bor -"  
  
Christina stopped, realizing that Faramir, Aragorn, and the others - but especially Faramir - did not know that because of her efforts, Boromir yet lived. She changed her sentence.  
  
"Y'know, Jeremie and his buddy he rooms with. We can all go to Central Park an' talk. It's noisy in here."  
  
"It's alright with me if it's alright with Their Majesties," Sivi said easily.  
  
"Most certainly; I would like to see one of the parks of this strange land," Eomer said curiously.  
  
Sivi and Megan just looked at one another with a sort of mutual, tired smile. 


	7. Fallen Into Shadow

Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo! It's EHAB. One note: after this chapter we do not hope to receive a great deal of hate-reviews, but we understand that it's likely that we will. I have only this to say: remember Chapter 18 of Elven Dreams and Misadventures; Chapter 19 cleared everything up, did it not? This is the last chapter of "The Place to Be," but Chapter One of "Many Places" will hopefully explain things, even if this is somewhat of a cliffhanger. Patience is a virtue, that it is. Thank you. - EHAB  
  
After lunch, Christina called Jeremie and told him to meet them in the park and to bring "Brian." They met by a large boulder very near to the place where Legolas had come to New York, and just as expected, chaos erupted. Chaos is not very nice in writing; suffice it to say that Boromir was loudly reunited with his brother and friends.  
  
"Please stop shouting," Andrea pleaded; "my head hurts."  
  
Her request went largely unheeded for the better part of an hour when she finally sank to her knees in the grass, murmuring,  
  
"I don't feel good."  
  
Alarms, sirens, and red flags began shooting off from every point in Sivi's brain. She lunged for Gil-galad's wrist just as Legolas dropped to his knee and put his hands under his wife's chin, asking gently,  
  
"What's the matter? Where does it hurt?"  
  
And as Andrea mumbled miserably that she didn't know, Sivi pulled Gil- galad to his feet and forced him to step back, her grey eyes fixed upon the rocks. She could feel the shadow.  
  
"Get back away from the rocks!" she said in a clear voice, but already the shadow had a form, the form of a dark-haired Elven woman.  
  
Morniwen stood still for a moment.  
  
"What, all of you here at once? In one place and at one time? So easy! So perfectly easy."  
  
"Snakes hide in the rocks. Worms arise from the dust. If you were a woman, I might be frightened, but you are only a worm," Sivi said bravely, but she had a sinking feeling that this was not going to be an easy battle.  
  
There was something behind Morniwen; the Elf-witch did not come of solely of her own accord or on her own behalf.  
  
"A worm? Yes, I am my master's worm. Beside me, Glaurung is a fledgling new from the shell. I am a most wicked and wily worm."  
  
"Uh, somebody wanna translate all that mess?" Christina asked boredly.  
  
"It's a pun," Megan explained. "It's a play on the archaic form of the word 'worm' as meaning a dragon or -"  
  
"Enough!" Morniwen said derisively, but it was plain that she was a little annoyed that none of the New Yorkers seemed to be afraid.  
  
She stretched out her hands and writhed as though having a seizure. Sivi moved to shield Gil-galad with her mind and her body and poured out her spirit in his defense. There was far more than Morniwen's own power in this spiraling barrage of energy, and since all of her own strength was put to work protecting her husband, Sivi began to feel her own form shift and change. Never mind; she could fix that later. It would be much more difficult to fix Gil-galad, so she applied herself fully to the prevention of his being changed in the first place.  
  
A thick, grey fog passed in front of Legolas's eyes. It seemed to him, in his suddenly confused state, that his body was as malleable as the mists. Through gaps in the twisting shadows, he could still see patches of colour- pictures of people he did not know. There was a small, stocky man with a huge red beard, a girl with long, straight, blonde hair and wide blue eyes... and a tiny copper-haired girl that he was sure he once had known. But at the moment, he didn't really KNOW anyone or anything, and after a minute, the gap in the fog closed, along with Legolas's eyes.  
  
THE END  
  
To be continued in "Many Places." 


End file.
